The hazardousness of potential flooding and environmental deterioration face
river basins throughout the world. Rivers in Japan are relatively short in length
and steep in elevation along the banks, which are supposed to funnel rainwater
and create floods due to heavy rain from typhoons/hurricanes. In addition, the
clearing of forested areas due to widespread residential development in Japan
and a lack of forestry workers have led to a broad decline in the riparian forest
ecosystems. The study examined the recovery of the Maruyama River basin
following the flood disaster in 2004. The Maruyama River disaster-relief and
restoration projects addressed the mitigation of environmental damage as well as
economic impacts. The Maruyama River basin is a noted habitat of the Oriental
white stork, which became extinct in 1971, and was reintroduced as the basin
through the breeding program in 2003. The 2004 flood destroyed the stork
habitat. As a part of the recovery effort, the Japanese government has worked
with the Toyooka City government and the Maruyama River Basin Committee to
rebuild and expand the habitat of the stork. Preserving the habitat of another
endangered species, the committee has added the Japanese giant salamander into
a species name list in the restoration plan. These projects are expected to
reinvigorate the local economy and preserve the environment of the river basin.
Keywords: restoration, rehabilitation, flood hazard, stork, salamander, habitat.